Ube cheese pandesal

Ube Cheese Pandesal are a new twist on our classic Filipino dinner roll. Ultra-soft and delicious with an intense purple-yam flavor and melty cheese filling, they’re great for breakfast or anytime snack.

Step by step

Everyone wants to make them and because you guys asked, here’s a step by step guide. The recipe is based on my tried and tested sweet potato dinner rolls which are always a hit.

I replaced the mashed kamote with ube, rolled the dough in bread crumbs before baking, and voila! Best ube pandesal ever!

Step 1: prepare purple yam

• If using frozen grated ube, thaw completely and remove from package. Wrap the thawed ube in aluminum foil, leaving a little opening on top, and place in a steamer basket. Steam for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until soft. Allow to cool slightly and mash until smooth, if needed. Use 1/2 cup.

• If using fresh ube, place one medium purple yam and enough water to cover in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until fork-tender. Drain and allow to cool to touch. Peel the yam and mash with a fork or potato masher until smooth. Use 1/2 cup.

• If using prepared ube halaya, use 1/2 cup jam and decrease sugar to 4 tablespoons.

• If using ube powder, reconstitute 1/4 cup 0f the powder with 3/4 cup hot water and stir until smooth.

Step 2: make the dough

• In a mixing bowl, add the warm water at 105 to 115 F in temperature and sprinkle the active dry yeast and one tablespoon of the sugar. Stir the mixture and let stand for about 5 minutes, or until foamy.

• Add the softened butter, the eggs, the remaining sugar, warm milk, the mashed purple yam, and salt. With a wooden spoon, stir the ingredients until well combined.

• Add 3 cups of the flour, one cup at a time, stirring well each addition. By this time, the dough is starting to form a shaggy mass. Add just enough of the remaining flour to manage stickiness and stir until the dough comes together in the center of bowl.

• Lightly grease a kneading board, and turn the dough out.

Step 3: knead, proof, and assemble

• The dough will be sticky. To make kneading easier while keeping the bread texture soft, use oil and a little amount of flour. Grease work surface and your hands as needed and sprinkle the dough with flour, but do so sparingly as oversaturating the dough with oil will keep it from rising and adding too much flour will make it dry.

• The dough will gradually lose its stickiness as you knead, but it will remain somewhat tacky. To check if the dough is well-kneaded, do the windowpane test. Take a small portion of the dough and with your fingers, stretch it out to form a square. A translucent film should form in the center without breaking easily. The dough should be smooth and elastic.

• Place the kneaded dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until double in size.

• Gently deflate the risen dough and form into a 20 to 22-inch log. Cut the log vertically in half and then cut each half into seven smaller portions to yield 14 portions.

• Using the palm of hands, flatten each dough portion and place a piece of cheese in the center. Fold the dough around the cheese and form it into a smooth ball, tucking the ends under to seal.

• Roll the dough in bread crumbs and arrange in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

• Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for about 40 to 60 minutes or until puffy and have doubled in size.

• Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for about 20-23 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to slightly cool as the filling will be hot!